KingMed Diagnostics and Shen Ziyu: Integrating Medical Testing with Internet Healthcare to Close the Online Diagnosis Loop and Promote Equitable Access to Medical Resources

In 2020, the sudden onset of the COVID-19 pandemic thrust internet healthcare into the spotlight. The pandemic accelerated public awareness of internet healthcare, increased demand for online consultations, and catalyzed the rapid development of the internet healthcare industry.

The rapid development of internet healthcare has pointed the way to solving the long-standing challenge of equalizing medical resource distribution in China. Telemedicine services enable urban specialists to serve rural patients and help physicians in county-level hospitals enhance their professional capabilities, thereby contributing to the resolution of disparities in medical resource allocation.

However, due to factors such as healthcare-seeking behaviors and diagnostic capabilities, the internet healthcare model remains dominated by online consultations for minor ailments, making it difficult to return to the core essence of serious medical care. A survey of internet healthcare users revealed that the inability to undergo diagnostic tests and suboptimal consultation outcomes are the primary reasons why patients with severe or chronic conditions do not opt for remote consultations. For instance, among tumor patients who chose not to use online consultations, 26% cited the inability to undergo diagnostic tests as the reason, while the figure was 18% for diabetic patients.

Laboratory testing plays a significant role in the diagnosis and treatment of diseases.Statistics show that 70% of the information physicians rely on for medical decision-making comes from laboratory tests; therefore, internet-based healthcare services lacking diagnostic testing capabilities will inevitably hinder physicians’ diagnostic and treatment decisions.

In the face of this challenge,KingMed Diagnostics Pioneers the Innovative “Medical Testing + Internet” Service Model, establishing a nationwide medical testing service network, digitizing processes such as disease screening and chronic disease management, sharing high-quality medical resources with patients in grassroots and remote areas, and promoting the equalization of medical resources. Meanwhile, it alleviates the follow-up visit pressure on physical hospitals, especially tertiary Grade A hospitals, and improves the efficiency of medical services.

On June 15, at the Future Healthcare Top 100 Conference · Leadership Summit hosted by VCBeat,Shen Ziyu, Senior Vice President of KingMed Diagnosticswith《IDevelopment and Innovation of CL,” sharing KingMed Diagnostics’ practices and innovations in the ICL (Independent Clinical Laboratory) service model.KingMed Diagnostics has established an innovative “medical testing + internet” service model, closing the loop on online diagnosis and treatment, improving the efficiency of medical services, returning online consultations to the essence of serious medical care, and helping to achieve equalization of medical resources. VCBeat has compiled its insightful perspectives.

Third-party medical testing is a mature industry abroad. The concept of third-party medical testing emerged in the United States in the 1920s. In Japan, up to 67% of medical tests are conducted in independent laboratories; the figure is 60% in Germany and 38% in the United States.

Domestic third-party medical laboratories started relatively late, with only over 20 years since their emergence, and currently account for just 8% of the market share.

KingMed Diagnostics pioneered the third-party medical testing industry in China.As early as the 1990s, KingMed Diagnostics’ core founding team actively explored operational models for outsourced medical laboratory services in China. After more than two decades of development, the company has become a market leader in China’s third-party medical laboratory industry. On September 8, 2017, KingMed Diagnostics had its initial public offering (IPO) of A-shares and was listed on the Shanghai Stock Exchange.In 2021, the total revenue reached RMB 11.943 billion, representing a year-on-year increase of 45%.

To provide high-quality medical testing services to clinical practice, KingMed DiagnosticsStarting with quality, strictly adhering to international standards, and building an advanced quality management system.KingMed Diagnostics is a pioneer in setting industry standards for third-party medical testing in China, being the first to introduce standardized and informatized laboratory management models and the first to operate a laboratory with dual accreditation from ISO 15189 and the U.S. College of American Pathologists (CAP).

As of now, KingMed Diagnostics holds 47 valid domestic and international quality certification and accreditation certificates, maintaining its industry leadership for 19 consecutive years. Its test results are recognized in 70 countries and regions worldwide. Leveraging its excellence in quality management, KingMed Diagnostics has been honored with the “Nomination Award for the 4th China Quality Award” and the “Nomination Award for the 19th National Quality Award.”

Network coverage,KingMed Diagnostics has established a service network covering China.. To date, KingMed Diagnostics operates 39 medical laboratories across China, offering more than 3,000 medical testing and pathological diagnosis items. With an annual testing volume exceeding 150 million samples and over 12 million pathological specimens processed each year, the company provides accurate, timely, and convenient medical testing and pathological diagnosis services to more than 23,000 healthcare institutions.

To this end, KingMed Diagnostics has also established professional teams of customer service and logistics personnel. The company’s self-built logistics network covers more than 2,000 counties and cities across 31 provinces and municipalities in China.

In terms of technology platforms, KingMed Diagnostics has established a comprehensive and robust laboratory diagnostic technology system comprising more than 30 technical platforms.Including high-throughput sequencing technology platforms, mass spectrometry/chromatography detection technology platforms, chromosomal microarray technology platforms, fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) technology platforms, flow cytometry analysis technology platforms, immunohistochemistry technology platforms, and ultrastructural pathology technology platforms.

To better align with clinical services,KingMed Diagnostics has established an international high-end medical testing think tank,The KingMed Diagnostics Academic Committee, composed of 52 top-tier experts from the fields of laboratory medicine, pathology, and clinical practice both in China and abroad, is chaired by Academician Zhong Nanshan and guided by eight academicians. By continuously introducing high-level talent with a global perspective, the company has assembled an R&D team of over 1,200 professionals and more than 200 renowned experts from home and abroad, including over 30 scholars who have returned from overseas, thereby establishing a robust medical testing think tank.

KingMed Diagnostics has always prioritized meeting clinical needs as the core of its business development. Committed to a clinical and disease-oriented approach, it facilitates effective integration and communication between medical laboratory testing, pathological diagnosis services, and clinical medicine. Covering numerous specialties including internal medicine, pediatrics, obstetrics and gynecology, oncology, and neurology, KingMed leverages multiple technological platforms and testing methodologies to provide comprehensive diagnostic information services for clinical decision-making.

Shen Ziyu believes that third-party medical testing laboratories have become a beneficial supplement to medical resources.For test items that hospitals are unable to perform, third-party medical laboratories can provide services, bringing benefits to the government, physicians, and patients. For the government, third-party medical laboratories possess testing equipment and provide logistics services, which can reduce healthcare costs through economies of scale and minimize redundant social investment. For medical institutions, hospitals do not need to purchase relevant equipment or train technical personnel in specialized testing areas.

Thus, the services of KingMed Diagnostics can be summarized as “reaching for the sky while being grounded.” “Reaching for the sky” refers to providing advanced technological solutions for diagnosing complex cases at large tertiary hospitals, such as high-end testing services including molecular diagnostics, gene sequencing, and chromosomal analysis. “Being grounded” entails delivering comprehensive medical laboratory resources and technology to primary care hospitals, thereby facilitating the equalization of medical services.

KingMed Diagnostics has always possessed an innovative DNA. As early as the mid-1990s, KingMed Diagnostics pioneered the innovative models of third-party medical laboratory testing and pathology services. Five years ago, KingMed Diagnostics introduced an innovative service model based on collaborative co-construction with hospitals.

To address the challenge of equalizing medical resources, KingMed Diagnostics has pioneered an innovative service model integrating “medical testing + Internet.”A convenient and accessible sample collection service system has been established nationwide, forming a comprehensive sample collection service framework.

Leveraging 39 medical laboratories across China and integrating offline physical healthcare institutions, we have establishedOffline Sampling Point Service Network: Formulation and Implementation of Consistent Service Standards, as of now, has establishedOver 500 offline sampling sites, covering 69 cities.

In addition, KingMed Diagnostics has established a dedicated team for internet-based medical services, with full informatization of the service process, achieving customer service response within an average of 20 seconds during 7*16-hour operation hours, so as to better provide sampling services and help internet medical institutions return from light consultations to serious medical care.

Leveraging the innovative “medical testing + internet” model, KingMed Diagnostics has developed two innovative service models. The first, guided by the philosophy of “helping online physicians provide better patient care,” has createdToB "Cloud Laboratory" Innovative Service Model, secondly, with the core aim of enhancing public attention to and awareness of healthy living, it has created"Zizaijian" DTC (Direct to Consumer) Mass Health Testing Service。

“Cloud Laboratory Testing” is dedicated to bridging the gap in laboratory testing for online medical consultations, providing auxiliary decision support for internet-based physicians in managing patients’ chronic diseases and prescribing medications.

Online consultations and prescription issuance are conducted by internet-based medical institutions, while KingMed Diagnostics provides subsequent services including sample collection, sample receipt, laboratory testing, and report delivery, ultimately feeding the results back to the online physicians.Assist physicians in making medical decisions, create a closed-loop online diagnosis and treatment service, and promote the return of the light-consultation model in internet healthcare to the essence of serious medical care.。

“Cloud Laboratory Testing” Completes the Closed Loop of Online Diagnosis and Treatment Services

“Cloud Testing” breaks through spatial limitations, linking multiple scenarios.For users, including those seeking online consultations and patients who find it inconvenient to return to the hospital for follow-up visits, laboratory test orders can be issued online. For internet healthcare institutions, this approach facilitates a comprehensive understanding of patients’ basic conditions, identification of abnormalities in asymptomatic individuals, completion of pre-medication physical assessments and monitoring of therapeutic efficacy, as well as clear determination of disease types and severity assessment. Ultimately, this enhances medical efficiency and reduces risks for both physicians and patients.

Leveraging a library of over 3,000 test items and digital solutions, KingMed Diagnostics has established its “Cloud Laboratory” product suite. Guided by the diagnostic needs of online physicians and tailored to diverse digital healthcare scenarios, it delivers professional, high-quality laboratory testing services. To date, the service has been launched with partner platforms.164 test items, covering 22 high-frequency online consultation departments.

DTC’s “Zizaijian” provides health testing services to the general public, primarily targeting patients with a certain level of health literacy or those requiring repeat testing.End-to-end testing services covering the entire workflow: online order placement, offline sample collection, sample receipt, laboratory testing, report generation, and online result inquiry.

"Zizaijian" DTC Model: The Full Process of Testing Services

KingMed Diagnostics has established a DTC product system, selecting appropriate medical testing items to be transformed into DTC products. CurrentlyLaunched over 40 DTC products.By establishing a presence on mainstream e-commerce platforms and launching the “KingMed Diagnostics Official Flagship Store,” we directly offer consumers testing products for chronic disease management, disease screening, and health monitoring, enabling users to enjoy accessible, convenient healthcare experiences.

To promote health literacy, KingMed Diagnostics has launched its sub-brand “Zizaijian” and established a self-media communication matrix covering mainstream social media platforms such as WeChat Official Accounts, WeChat Channels, Zhihu, Xiaohongshu (Little Red Book), Douyin, Kuaishou, and Bilibili. By assembling a professional content operations team and leveraging authoritative expert resources, the company disseminates popular science knowledge on health through diverse formats. In 2021, it published 227 original articles, achieving a cumulative exposure of over 5.8 million views.

In 2021, the innovative “medical testing + Internet” service model served over 270,000 people.Shen Ziyu stated, “The ‘medical testing + Internet’ innovative ecosystem for internet healthcare holds infinite possibilities for the future. We hope to collaborate with more medical service platforms and providers to make our due contribution to the development of China’s healthcare sector and to the equalization of medical services.”